Oberlin Earth Day Run 2011

Lisa Shomo (257) and Oberlin City Council President Ken Sloane (263) happily cross the finish line at the Oberlin Earth Day Run. Usually Lisa and Ken are on their bikes.

 It turned out to be a beautiful day for the 2011 Oberlin Earth Day 5k Run. And it was a record turnout, according to race organizers. Check out our Facebook page for an album of photos of the day. Did you run? Don’t forget to tag yourself!

2009 Oberlin Earth Day 5k run

It's like a sign of spring. The 5k Earth Day run in Oberlin. And what a beautiful day it was. It appeared that there were about 50 runners for the race. The overall winner was Brett Barkacs with a time of 19:25. Second overall: Jim Galloway with a time of 21:03. The first female runner to cross the line was Alexa Sharp with a time of 21:54, and second place women's was Marty Stuedle with a time of 23:16. Some photos from the day:

Runners take your mark, get set, go!

And they're off....

Brett Barkacs takes first.

Alexa Sharp across the line..

Proof that spring is here. The daffodils and magnolias are in full bloom.

This coming weekend-season's events begin

This weekend is kind of like the unofficial start of our outdoor events season. This Saturday, April 18th in Oberlin is the annual 5k Earth Day run. The weather forecast for this looks superb! The run will start and finish on Tappan Square at 10am. Entry fee is $10 per person and the first 75 registrants will receive a t-shirt. For more information, contact the Oberlin Recreation Dept. at 440.775.7254. Here is a link from last year's Earth Day in Oberlin.

The Lorain Wheelmen’s annual tradition to begin the cycling season-Afrost is Sunday, April 19 and begin at 9am. For details check out the Wheelmen’s Afrost Page. The weather this week looks to be great for an early spring ride. Updated Back Roads and Beaches maps are available and can be obtained here and online maps here. See you out there!

Time to plan for 2009 North Central Ohio Adventure

Kayaking on the Vermilion River. Photo courtesy of Shawn Newsome. Shawn is the owner of a new campground along the river—Vermilion River Cliffs Marina. (website coming soon)

It's that time of year again. Spring! We're starting to see cyclists and kayakers out and about on our rivers and back roads. Now that the weather is more cooperative we want to give you some tools to plan your visit. First off, a few upcoming events around Back Roads and Beaches:

Kayaking:
Sunday, March 29 will be the annual Keel-haulers Vermilion River Race. Check out the website for information including rules, maps and start times. The Keel-haulers is an organization headquartered in Northeast Ohio with 400 families that share an interest in outdoors and all kinds of boating including whitewater, sea kayaking, canoeing, rafting and racing.

Run
Oberlin’s 5K Earth Day run will start and finish on Tappan Square on Saturday, April 18 at 10am. Entry fee is $10 per person and the first 75 registrants will receive a t-shirt. For more information, contact the Oberlin Recreation Dept. at 440.775.7254.

Cycling
Seems like it hasn’t been that long since the Lorain Wheelmen’s traditional end of season ride-the Red Flannel that capped off a great 2008 cycling season. Now, it’s time for the Wheelmen’s annual tradition to begin the cycling season-Afrost. The ride will be Sunday, April 19 and begin at 9am. For details check out the Wheelmen’s Afrost Page. The weather this week looks to be great for an early spring ride. Updated Back Roads and Beaches maps are available and can be obtained here and online maps here. See you out there!

Earth Day in Oberlin

Today is Earth Day in Oberlin and what a perfect day for it.
Temps in the 70s and all the trees in bloom.
There's nothing like the smell of magnolias in bloom on Tappan Square!

Cyclists and runners are out and about.
This morning was also the annual Earth Day 5k run in Oberlin.

Here, the first runner across the finish line accepts his award.

Allen Memorial Art Museum

Oberlin College Finney Chapel, Oberlin College Campus

Earth Day vendors and participants enjoy the spring weather.

Oberlin is a great place to hang out, take a break from the bike
while you get a bite to eat along the Back Roads and Beaches Bike Route.
You never know what you'll see!